Machine for sealing boxes or cartons



J. A. MOORE.

MACHINE FOR SEALING BOXES 0R CARTONS.

APPUCATION FILED JUNE 14, 1920.

Patented May 24, 1921.

4 SHEETSSHEET I.

J. A. MOORE.

MACHINE FOR SEALING BOXES 0R CARTONS.

, APPLICATION FILED JUNEM, 1920. 379 276.

H m K 2 s l m NF 0 Wm & H 7 E M M \N M 4 f t n e t a P MN 9e W I uwm. mu7 7 a m M NI L u ll/Z W/ A m.

J. A. MOORE.

MACHINE FOR SEALING BOXES OR CARTONS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 14.1920

1 ,37 9 ,276. Patented May 24, 1921.

4 SHEETSSHEET 3.

J. A. MOORE.

MACHINE FOR SEALING BOXES 0R CARTONS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE14, 1920.

1,879,276. Patented May 24, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

UNITED STATES PATENT'OFFI'CE.

JOHN A. Moons, or LOUISVILLE, xnn'rocxr', ASSIGNOB are m IENGEL comm,

. OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, A CORPORATION OF HEWIEBSEY. MACHINE FORSEALING BOXES OR CARTONS! Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 24, 1921.

Application filed June 14, 1920. Serial No. 388,831.-

"To all wkomz't concern:

Be it known t at I, JOHN A. MooRE, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Louisville, in the county ofJefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Machines for Sealing Boxes or Cartons, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention pertains to an improved machine for closing and sealingboxes or cartons, and has for its main object the production of amachine wherein filled boxes or cartons will have their closure flapsauto matically turned in and sealed.

The invention is illustrated in the panying drawings, wherein,-

Figure l is a top plan view of the machine;

Fig. 2 a vertical longitudinal sectional view;

Fig. 3 a transverse sectional view taken on'the line III-III of Fig. 2;

Fi 4 a similaryiew taken on the line IV%V of Fig. 2 and showing theflaps being. brought to their final closed position;

Fig. 5 a detailed sectional elevation showing a portion ofthepasteoperating mechanism;

Fig. 6 a horizontal sectional view;

Fig. 7 a perspective view showing one of the cartons or boxes with themeans employed for outwardly turning the outermost flaps both at theupper and lower end of the box or carton prior to their entering intooperative relation with the paste applying rollers;

Fig. 8 a similar view showing theflaps being brought to their finalclosed posltion;

Fig. 9 a transverse vertical sectional view taken on the line IX-IX of'Fig. 2 with The box or carton is best shown in Fig. 7

wherein 1 denotes the body of the box, 2 and 3 the inturned flaps at theupper ends thereof, 4 and 5 the side or overlying flaps, the flaps atthe lower end of the box being similarly lettered and having addedthereto the exponent a. The frame of the machine may be said to becomposed of an upper element 6 and a lower element 7 which liehorizontall parallel to each other and are connected by the verticallydisposed columns 8 and 9 whlch in turn are connected by cross braces 10and 11. Located ata point beyond the frame members 6 and T is areceiving chamber comprising-upper and lower walls 12 and 13respectively, connected together by suitable frame elements as crosspieces 14; and 15 and vertical elements 2 16 and 17. The boxes areintroduced by hand on to the base member 7 with the innermost flap, bothat the top and bottom, turned inwardly, as best shown in Fig. 2, and theboxes will move through the machine or runway and 7, past the initialflap engaging mechanism or means which turns the outermost flapsoutwardly into the horizontal where they are brought into alinement withthe paste applying rollers, thence past said rollers and into workingrelation with the means employed for inturning said pasted flaps uponthe previously infolde'd flaps, thence into the receiving chamber wheresaid. inturned flaps are .held in their closed position until theybecome sufliciently dry to adhere to the inner flaps. Or the boxes thusclosed mag be removed from the compression cham er and stacked orotherwise positioned where the flaps will be held closed for therequisite length of time.

To advance the boxes or cartons through the runway, I preferablyemploy-two endless chains 18 and 19, each chain being provided with aseries of equally spaced lugs or fingers 20 (see Fig. 6) the outer endsof which are preferably rearwardly curved to a slight extent so thatthey will not injure the box when they come into contact therewith. Theinner stretches of the chains adjacent the runway run in grooved guidebars 21 and 22 (see more particularly Fig. 9) and pass about suitabledriving sprockets and idlersbest shown in Figs. 1 and 4;). The chain 18adjacent the discharge end of the machine passes about a sprocket 23secured upon the lower end of a vertical shaft 24 carrying at its upperend a bevel gear 25 which meshes with a similar gear 26 secured upon adriven shaft 27, said shaft receiving its power through a belt passingabout a band formed by themembers 6' pulley 28. The chain 19 passesabouta sprocket 29 secured to the lower end of a vertically disposed shaft 30corresponding to shaft 24 and carrying at its upper end a bevel gear 31which meshes with a similar gear 32 secured to the shaft 27. Thus theshafts 24 and 30 are driven in unison and consequently the endlesschains 18 and 19 the inner stretch of said'chain 19 straight and inparallelism with the inner run of the chain 18. The flaps which arev tobe pasted and turned downwardly or upwardly, as the case may be, arepassed beneath the flap turningmechanism which throws them upwardly intothe horizontal as they pass into the machine, Such means, in the instantcase, is shown both at the upper and lower portions as composed of twobars or members each comprising an upstandlng portion 37 and an inclinedportion 38, the said inclined members inclining downwardly and divergingfrom each other, as best seen upon reference to Figs. 1 and 2, so thatas the box moves thereunder, the flaps 4 and 5 which contact the saidelements 38 will be gradually turned outwardly and brought to thehorizontal in line with the paste applying means.

Said paste applying means is automatic in its operation and ispreferably constructed in the following manner:

Located beneath the lower frame member 7 is a paste receptacle or trough39 in which rotates two rollers 40 and 41 carried upon a shaft 42 whichat its outer end is provided with a gear 43. Said gear meshes with asimilar gear 44 secured upon a shaft 45 which lies above and parallel tothe shaft 42. Said shaft 45 carries rolls 46 and 47 located directlyabove and in contact respectively with\the rolls 40 and 41. Rolls 48 and49 mounted upon stub axles 50 which extend inwardlly from the verticallydisposed members 8 and 9 of the frame, overlie the rolls 46 and 47respectively, said rolls 48 and 49 being pressure rolls. The lowermostoutturned flaps of the box or carton, after hav ing passed the spreadingelements 38, lie in a plane coincident with the bight between therollers 46 and 48 and 47 and 49 and pass between the same, as best shownin Fig. 9, the paste being applied to the undermost faces of the thenoutturned flaps by the rollers 46 and 47. The shaft 45 has secured to ita pulley 51 about which passes a belt 52, the belt being crossed overand passing about a pulley 53 secured to a shaft 54 mounted in suitablebrackets 55 secured to the upper portionof'the machine. Said shaft 54also has secured to it, approximately at its midlength, (see Figs. 1 and2) a pulley 56, about which passes a belt 57, said belt extending towardthe discharge end of the machine and passing about a pulley 58 mountedupon the drive shaft 27 heretofore referred to. M0- tion is thusimparted from the shaft 27 through belt 57, shaft 54 to pulley 53,thence through belt 52 and pulley 51 to the shaft 45 and thecoiiperating parts just described. Shaft 27 also carries a second pulley59 about which passes a belt 60that extends toward the intake end of themachine, said belt passing over idlers 61 and 62 mounted upon a bracket63 and about a pulley 64 secured upon a shaft 65. As will best be seenupon reference to Fig. 5, the belt 60 forms what may be termed a loop asit passes over the idler 61 about the pulley 64 and back to the idler62, which loop becomes ineffective to drive the shaft 65 when the partsare in the position shown in Fig. 2, that is to say, when the shaft 65and its pulley 64 are elevated. The shaft 65 is mounted in the ends of abail shaped frame, best shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5, and denoted by 66.Said frame is fulcrumed upon a cross bar 67 secured insuitable brackets68. The shaft 65 has secured to it paste applying rollers 69 and 70which coact with underlying flap supporting rollers 71 and 72 mountedupon stub axles 73 (Fig. 9). The weight of the rollers 69 and 7 0together with the shaft is such that the frame will normally drop downto the position shown in Fig. 5, where the rollers 69 and 70will'contact the then outstanding flap and apply paste thereto. Saidrollers will have paste imposed upon their surface while they are intheir elevated position (Fig. 2) through rollers 74 and 75 mounted uponthe constantly driven shaft 54. Said rollers 74 and 75 have pasteapplied to their surfaces by any suitable means, as for instance, pastereservoirs 76, 77.

A latch 78 (Fig. 5) fulcrumed at 79, is

employed to hold the frame 66 in such position that the paste rolls 69and 70 are normally held out of the path of movement of the box flaps,and when so held the belt 60 becomes free and no motion is imparted tothe shaft 65. A spring 80 serves to draw the latch toward the frame andthe lower end of the latch extends into the runway through which theboxes or cartons are advanced, and contacting the same will throw thelatch away from the frame and allow "the frame to swing so that thepaste applying rolls may come into contact with the then outturned upperflaps, as best indicated 1n Fig. 5. Mounted upon the horizontallynavasve extending bar 21 is an articulated slide 81 (see Fig. 6), saidslide at its forward ortion carrying a finger 82 which extends into thepath of movement of the boxes or cartons and is moved forwardly therebywhile the box flaps are assing between the paste a plying rolls. Theforward member 81 o? the slide is held in its inward position by aspring 83 andthe slide as a whole is held in its retracted position by acoil spring 84 attached to the slide at one end and at its opposite endto a fixed portion of the machlne. The rear end of the slide is bent orso formed as to be substantially U-shaped, and the forward extendingmember of the outermost section of the arm or the element indicated by85 (see Figs. 6 and 10) extends outside of the upright 8 and passesthroughv a guide 86. Said portion of the slide carries an upstanding pinor lug 87 which is in line with an arm or lever 88 secured to andextending downwardly from the shaft 67 upon which the frame 66 issecured. When the box is moved forwardly to such an extent that theflaps clear the paste applying rolls the lug 87 contacts the lower endof the arm 88 and rocks'the frame 66 carrying the paste applyin rollsupwardly and permittin the latch 8 to engage the rear portion of t eframe 66 as the box passes away from or free of such latch. As the boxor carton is moved forwardly and comes to the position just noted wherethe flaps are passing out of contact with the paste applying rolls, theslide 81 is likewise carried forwardly and the forward end 81 thereofytowhich the member 82 is attached, contacts a cam 89 and saidforward endis forced or turned inwardly from the position shown in Fig. 6 to thatin Fig. 1, whereby the member 82 is carried out of contact with the boxor carton and the same is free to move forward in the runway. The cam 89also acts to prevent the forward hinged end 81 from being thrown too farinwardly into the runway, and retrograde movement of the slide as awhole beyond a given limit is prevented by a stop 90 extending upwardlyfrom the slide and contacting a guide member 91.

As the box or carton leaves the paste ap-, plyingrolls the flaps thereofcome into contact with two converging flap turning members 92 and 93arranged in pairs both at the upper and lower portion of the runway.There is also provided at this point and extending inwardly between theflap turning members, a tongue, as 94, there being a tongue at the upperand lower portion of the runway, which tongue is rounded on that facenext adjacent the inturning flaps and is tapered toward its outer endwhere it stops just short of the flap turning elements 92 and 93. By thetime the box is advanced through the runway and the flaps begin to leavethe tongues, the flaps will have been turned substantially to their flatposition, as indicated in Figs. 4 and 8, and thence pass in between theelements 12 and 13 where the pasted flaps are held in close relation tothe underlying flaps 2 and 3. The forward ends of the members 12 and 13would preferably be cut awa to present a. V-formation, as best shown inFigs. 6 and 8, and the walls of such cutaway portion are slightly curvedor rounded so that the corners or ends of the flaps will ride freelythereover and the flaps forced to their closed position without dangerof being torn or otherwise injured or dis laced.

xtending longitudinally and centrally of each of the tongues 94 and;projecting outwardly therefrom is a flat bar 95 preferably formed ofthin steel plate which bar acts to prevent the overlapping of the flaps4 and 5 and the consequent adhesion of one fla upon the other. While theflaps are or inarily made of such dimensions that they abut (orapproximately so) when completely infolded, it sometimes occurs that thesides of the boxes bulge out and in order to get them back again it isnecessary to apply pressure to the boxes. This sometimes causes theflaps to lap one over; the other if too much pressure is applied,thereby causing the top flap to be held away from the underlying flaps 2and 3 ,by the thickness of itself, thus preventing a bond between theelements. The outstanding bar or element 95, when such conditionobtains, throws-the flaps upwardly and prevents them from crossing and,as the box is advanced beneath the folding and pressure elements, causesthe As before noted the members 12 and 13 may be extended out aconsiderable length so that the boxes or cartons will be pushedtherethrough step by step as each succeeding carton is pushed to placeby the advancing chains 18 and 19, or the cartons may be removed andsubjected to a heating to dry the paste or stacked up so that the flapswill remain under pressure until the adhesivebecomes dry.

While I have described and shown a structure wherein the upper and lowerflaps of the box or carton may be sealed, it is evident that ifthe loweror bottom flaps of the carton are previously sealed prior to filling thebox, the machine may, nevertheless, be used for sealing the upper flaps.

The term carton employed in the claims is to be treated as theequivalent of box or the like.

What is claimed is 1. In a machine for sealing flaps of car-' tons, thecombination of a runway; means for advan-cmg the cartons therethrough;

means for turning oppositely disposed flaps outwardly into substantiallyhorlzontal position; means for applyin paste to such outturned flaps;means or turning the pasted flaps inwardly over and upon the underlyingfla'ps of the carton; and means acted upon by the box as it is passedthrough themachine for bringing the paste applying means into and out ofoperatlve position.

2. In a machine for sealing the flaps of cartons, the combination of arunway through which the cartons'may be passed; means for Inc-Vin thecartons through such runway; means or turning the pair of the oppositelydisposed flaps of the cartons outwardly; paste applying rolls standingin line with such outturned flaps; and means cooperating with thecartons as they are passed through the machine for bringing such rollsinto and out of operative position with the flaps of the cartons.

3. In a machine for sealing the flaps of cartons, the combination of arunway;

means foradvancing the cartons there through; means contactingoppositely ,disposed flaps and turning the same outwardly into asubstantially horizontal position; means 'for applying paste to suchoutturned flaps; a tongue extending beyond the paste applying means,said tonguenarrowing toward its outer end remote from said pasteapplying means; and means coacting with said tongue to turn the flapsinwardly.

4:. In a machine for sealing the flaps of cartons, the combination of arunway;

" means for advancing the cartons therethrough; means engagingoppositely disposed pairs of flaps and turning them outwardly intosubstantially horizontal position; paste applying rolls adapted toengage and apply paste to said outturned flaps; atongue extending fromthe paste applying means toward the discharge end of the machine, saidtongue being rounded upon that face next adjacent the flaps and taperingtoward its outer end; and means cooperating with the tongue'to turn theflaps inwardly from the tongue and to bring the same to a closed sealedposition.

5. In a machine for sealing the flaps of cartons, the combination of arunway; a pair of endless chains having opposite runs thereoncoextensive of the runway, means carried by said chains for engaging thecartons and passing them through the runway one by one; a pair ofdownwardly inclined divergent members contacting the oppositely disposedflaps as the carton enters the machine and acting to turn the flapsoutwardly into a substantially horizontal position; paste applyingrollers contacting the outturned faces of said flaps; a tongue extending outwardly from the paste applyemme posed flaps of the cartonsoutwardly into substantially horizontal position; paste applying rollsstanding in line with such outturned flaps; a pivoted frame forming thesupport for said rollers; a latch for normally holding said frame withthe rollers elevated out of the path of movement of the flaps; saidmeans standing in the path of movement of the cartons and being releasedfrom the frame as the cartons contact said.

means thereby allowing the roller to drop; means actuated by the forwardmovement of the carton for elevating the rollers and permitting theframe to become relocked'; and means for turning said pasted flapsinwardly into sealing position.

' 7. In a machine for sealing the flaps of cartons, the combination of arunway; means for advancing cartons therethrough; means acting upon theinner edges of the flaps to force the same bodily outwardly to bringthem to a position where they will not overlap; and means for forcingthe flaps into sealing contact with the underlying portions of thecarton.

8. In a machine for sealing cartons hav- 7 ing flaps, the combination ofa runway; means for advancing the cartons therethrough; means forturning the flaps in-.

wardly into adhesive relation with the underlying portions of thecarton; and means acting upon the proximate edges of the flaps toprevent the same from overlapping as they are turned inwardly intosealing relation.

9. In a machine for sealing cartons having flaps, the combination of arunway; means for advancing the cartons therethrough; means for turningopposite flaps inwardly into sealing position; and means cooperatingwith said inturned means'to prevent the flaps overlapping as they areturned inwardly into sealing position".

10. In a machine for sealing cartons having flaps, the combination of arunway; means for advancing cartons therethrough; and an upstanding barlocated in line with the inner adjacent edges of the flaps and acting toprevent overlapping of the same as the flaps are turned inwardly intosealing contact with the underlying portions of the carton.

11. In a machine for sealing cartons having flaps, the combination of arunway; means for advancing the cartons therethrough; means for turningopposite flaps outwardly to a substantially horizontal position; meansfor applying paste to the outturned flaps while in such position; meansfor thereafter turning the flaps inwardly to bring them into sealingcontact with the other box flaps; and means coacting with the inneredges of the flaps to prevent the same from overlapping as they areturned inwardly into sealing position.

12. In a machine for sealing cartons having flaps, the combination of arunway; means for advancing the cartons therethrough; means for applyingpaste to the carton elements which are 'to be brought into adhesiverelation; means for turning opposite flaps inwardly; a tongue lyin inthe runway beneath the path of the aps to be inturned; and an upstandingbar carried by the tongue and preventing overlapping of the proximateedges of the flaps which are being inturned.

13. In a machine for sealing cartons having flaps; means for turning theflaps inwardly into sealing position; and means associated therewith toforce the flaps bodily outwardly away from each other to preventoverlapping of the proximate ed es thereof when they are brought totheir nal sealed position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN A. MOORE.

